Eep! Ducking to avoid the pitchforks, coffee mugs, sharp sticks, etc. that were hurled my way after I ended the last chapter where I did/how I did. I swear on all that is holy that I am a Babe. There may be a little angsty drama, but I promise an eventual Babe HEA!

Thanks for all of the reviews and private messages! They do motivate me to keep going and work on the next chapter more than you know! Hopefully this chapter will make up for the last one! ;)

(Bold text from Chapter 6)

Ranger stood up when I walked in. "Babe! You were gone for an hour and a half! What's going on?" To anyone else, his face would look cool and composed, but I've been around Ranger long enough to know how to look for the little signs that pointed to his true mood. The lines around his eyes and mouth always gave him away when he was angry or stressed. Right now, I predicted that he was a little bit of both.

I walked over and gave him a hug. I knew that I needed to talk to him, but right now I just wanted a hug. I needed reassurance. I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. Ranger quickly wrapped me up in his arms and returned the hug.

Pulling back, he searched my face, looking for clues as to what was going on. He reached down to tug me over to the chair next to his and noticed the paper clutched in my hand. He quirked an eyebrow at me, and I handed him the prescription. He quickly read it and then raised his eyes to look at me.

Chapter 7- Baby Talk

"Give us a minute, Tom." Ranger said without taking his eyes off of me. Tom quickly got up and left the room without making a sound.

I swallowed hard and looked down at the floor.

Ranger sat back down in his chair, pulling me down to straddle his lap. "Babe, what is this?" he asked, holding up the prescription.

I tried to answer him, but my voice wasn't cooperating. I cleared my throat and squeaked out, "a prescription for the morning after pill."

His tilted my chin up and looked into my eyes. "That's what I thought it was. Did you ask for this?"

I shook my head no.

"Then why do you have it?" he asked softly.

I blushed and started talking as fast as I could. I figured the quicker I said it, the sooner this whole embarrassing mess would be over! "When the doctor performed the rape kit, she noticed the presence of semen. The therapist asked how I felt about the possibility of being pregnant, and I told her that it wasn't intentional. That I had forgotten about protection, and that you probably thought I was on the pill. She gave me the prescription in case we wanted to get it filled."

Ranger cupped my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. "And do you want to get it filled?"

I felt my eyes fill with tears, and I bit my lip. I knew that if I tried to talk, my voice would break and I would start sobbing. I shook my head no.

Ranger brushed a few stray tears off of my cheeks. "Why not?" he asked softly.

"I don't think I could do that." I answered in a raspy voice. "Do you want to get it filled?"

Ranger shook his head. "No, Babe. I don't think I could do that either."

I rested my head on his shoulder and let out a deep breath that I didn't even know I was holding. "I'm so sorry, Ranger."

"For what?"

"Well, I know you don't want any more kids. You have Julie…"

"It's not that I don't want more kids." Ranger blew out a frustrated sigh. "It's just that those kinds of relationships are difficult in my line of work. Do you remember me telling you that my life doesn't lend itself to relationships?"

I nodded. Boy did I ever remember.

"Well, it's true. It's very difficult for me to date or have any kind of long-term relationship. I don't want kids scattered all over the country, products of a one night stand. If I have any more, I want to be there for them. And look at the mess that Julie was put in because of me. It just makes the whole wife and kids picture a little more difficult, that's all."

"So you're saying that you do want more kids?" I was in shock.

"I'm saying that I'd be open to the idea if and when the time comes. What about you, Babe? Do you want kids?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know. It's never really been something I wanted. It's been something that my mom and Joe have tried to force on me. Along with marriage and quitting my job."

"So do you think you resisted because you really didn't want it or just because you're stubborn and wanted to buck your mother and Joe?"

Damn! Did this man know me, or what? "What are you saying?" I asked in an irritated voice.

Ranger smirked. "Babe. Reverse psychology works like a charm on you! Haven't you noticed that yet? Whenever the guys want you to do something, they bet you that you can't or won't. Then you bust your ass to prove them wrong!"

I sat straight up. "Damn it! Is that why Ram bet me that I couldn't get 5 shots in the target's chest area last week when I was trying to avoid gun range practice? Or why Lester bet me that I couldn't lift the 50 pound weights without whining about it?"

Ranger kissed my cheek. "Bingo." He whispered.

I let out a frustrated sigh. Who knew I was so easy to manipulate? Evidently my mom and Joe had been going about things all wrong! What they should have done was forbid me to have kids. Then I probably would have been poking holes in Joe's condoms and riding him like Zorro night and day!

"So back to my question," Ranger started, interrupting my deep thoughts. "Why don't you want to have kids?"

I thought about it. "Well, they're a lot of work. Some days I barely remember to feed Rex. Rex! Shoot! Where is he?"

Ranger laughed. "Lester has him in his apartment."

"See what I mean? I can't even keep track of a hamster! I would be a rotten mom!"

"Babe, you act like you wouldn't have any support. Your family and friends would be there. I'd be there. We would all help you."

"I know, but it's not just that." Ranger tilted his head and listened. "I don't want to be a Burg wife. I don't want to give up my whole life to be someone else's wife or mother. I still want to be me! I still want to work, to go out with friends. I don't want to be chained to the stove cooking and cleaning all day."

Ranger gave me a thoughtful look. "If you were pregnant right now, do you really think I'd lock you away on 7?"

I smiled. "No."

"And I already have Ella chained to the stove cooking and cleaning. So probably you could go out with friends while she slaves away all day." Ranger's eyes twinkled.

I punched him lightly on the arm. "Jerk!"

I leaned my head back down on Ranger's shoulder, and he started rubbing my back. "We'll deal with whatever comes, Babe. Weren't you paying attention this morning?"

I looked at him questioningly.

"You're mine, Babe. I meant that." He rested his hand on my belly. "I admit that the timing isn't great. We just finally worked things out between the two of us. But if you are pregnant, we'll figure it out."

"If I am pregnant, I don't want you to feel obligated to me, Ranger."

He stroked his thumb across my cheek and kissed me gently. "Stephanie Michelle Plum! Are you listening to a word I'm saying? I love you! I plan on being there for you all the time. And if we made a baby, then I'll be there for the baby, too. You're not getting rid of me, Babe, so quit worrying."

I really wanted to believe what he was saying. I really did. "But when Rachel got pregnant…"

"Babe, when Rachel got pregnant, I wasn't in love with her. I barely even knew what her name was when I married her. This wouldn't be the same situation at all."

"OK," I agreed weakly.

Ranger held up the prescription. "So are we agreed that we don't need this?"

I gave him a small smile and nodded. He folded it and stuck it in one of the pockets of his cargos.

"Try not to worry about it, Babe. We'll just wait and see what happens, OK?"

I nodded in agreement.

"Now. Would you like to explain to me how in the three hours since you left RangeMan you ended up getting a bruised cheek, being held in custody at TPD, and given a rape kit?" He arched an eyebrow at me.

"Is this the part where the attorney should come back in?" I questioned weakly.

Ranger nodded. He helped me off of his lap and walked over to the door. He opened it and motioned for Tom to come back into the room. Tom was about 6' 5" with dark wavy hair and piercing blue eyes. Even in a suit, you could tell that the guy was muscular and built like all of the rest of the Merry Men. I was sure that he was probably the best attorney that money could buy. Why? Because he worked for RangeMan, and Ranger only hired the best.

Ranger gestured for us all to take a seat. I moved to settle into the seat next to him, but he grabbed my waist and pulled me down onto his lap instead. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I need you close to me for just a little bit longer, Babe. You scared me half to death this morning when I couldn't get a hold of you. Then you called and said you were arrested." He wrapped his arms around me, and I held onto his arms. I turned and brushed my lips across his for a quick kiss.

He grinned and introduced me to my lawyer. "Stephanie, this is one of RangeMan's attorneys, Tom Anderson. Tom, this is my girlfriend, Stephanie Plum." Tom raised an eyebrow when Ranger introduced me as his girlfriend, but to his credit, he didn't say anything about it.

Tom reached across the table and shook my hand. "Very nice to meet you, Stephanie. I've heard quite a bit about you from some of the other guys. They think very highly of you."

I blushed. "Thank you, Tom."

"Now, why don't you tell me why we're here today."

I threaded my fingers through Ranger's, and he squeezed my hands in support. I explained about the events of the evening before, when Morelli had come over uninvited. Then I told them both about the traffic stop this morning. When I got to the part where Morelli had discovered that I might be pregnant, Tom's eyes almost bugged out of his head. Hmm. On second thought, I'm not sure that he could be a Merry Man after all. He would fail the blank face test for sure. Ranger moved our hands to rest protectively on my belly.

"Is that when Detective Morelli struck you, Stephanie?" Tom questioned.

"Um, no." I hesitated. I looked back at Ranger.

Ranger gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Go ahead, Babe. What happened next?"

"He punched the SUV. He dented the rear driver's side door."

Ranger rubbed his big hands over my belly. "It's just a car, Babe. I'm more worried about what happened to your cheek."

Tom looked up from scribbling notes on his legal pad. "Can you tell me how that happened, Stephanie?"

I nodded. "Joe was threatening to impound the car and take me in for questioning. He said that the SUV matched the description of a vehicle that was involved in a drive by shooting on Stark Street this morning at 3 am. I told him that I thought he was making it up, and I went to climb back in the car. I told him to mail me my ticket for running the red light."

Tom nodded encouragingly. "What happened when you tried to climb back in the car?"

"He stopped me and said that I couldn't leave. He said that it was too bad that I didn't have an alibi for 3 am this morning. I told him that I did have an alibi, that I was in bed."

"What was his reaction to that?" Tom asked.

"He said that it was too bad that no one could verify that." I looked at Ranger, who smirked. "When I told him that I wasn't alone, he smacked me."

Ranger's smirk turned to a scowl and he traced his finger lightly across my cheek. "He'll pay, Babe. I promise you."

I shook my head. "No, Ranger. You can't get involved in this! You'll end up arrested and sitting right here with me, both of us charged with assaulting an officer!"

Tom's head snapped up. "Did you assault him?"

I twisted my hands and started squirming in my seat. Unfortunately, my seat was Ranger's lap. I heard him draw in a quick breath, and his hands held my hips still. "Babe," he groaned. "Quit wiggling!"

I blushed and sat still. I looked up at Tom. "Well," I began weakly. "I didn't actually assault him, but I tried."

Tom looked at me, a confused look on his face. "What do you mean you tried to assault him?"

"When he slapped me, I pulled my stun gun out of my purse. But he had me handcuffed and in the back of his car before I had the chance to nail him with it."

I could feel Ranger's chest shaking from silent laughter. "Proud of you, Babe!" he whispered in my ear.

"Is that what he's charging you with, then?" Tom asked.

"Yes. That and the drive by shooting I supposedly committed at 3 am. And running a red light." I added.

Tom nodded. "OK. When I got here, Ranger said that they had a doctor examining you for signs of abuse? I'll have to get a copy of that documentation and go over it with you."

"I'd like to know why on Earth you were given a rape kit." Ranger stated. He gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Did he touch you? I swear to God, Babe, if he raped you, I will kill him!"

"I'm not hearing this!" Tom muttered.

I stroked Ranger's cheek. "No, he didn't. He didn't touch me."

"Then why did they do a rape kit?" Ranger questioned.

At the time, I hadn't really questioned the rape kit. I was overwhelmed and just going on what the doctor was telling me. Looking back now, though, it was obvious that someone had told the doctors to treat me as an abused woman, not just a woman in a simple assault case. And I had a pretty good idea who that someone was.

I lifted my hands up to Ranger's face and caressed his cheeks. Then I let my hands slide back to tangle in his hair- one of my guilty pleasures. "I'll tell you why I think they did the rape kit, but you have to stay calm. Agreed?"

Immediately Ranger's jaw tensed up, and his eyes narrowed.

I rubbed the wrinkle between his brow with one of my thumbs. "That's not calm." I whispered.

"Just tell me, Babe." He insisted.

"According to Eddie, Joe is telling everyone that all of the marks and bruises I have are from you." Ranger immediately tensed up, and I heard Tom suck in a huge breath of air.

I continued. "He told Eddie that he came over last night because the two of us were planning on talking about getting back together. Supposedly you, Tank, and Lester barged in while we were talking. You had Tank restrain him, and you took me back to Haywood against my will. He spent the whole night looking for me and finally found me driving around this morning. He saw the bruise on my cheek right away, and I told him that you hit me when you found out that Joe and I were getting back together. I attacked Joe because I am now afraid of all men since you have been abusing me, and I hold Joe responsible for not protecting me from you. He cuffed me and brought me in before I could accidentally hurt myself or him. He was planning on letting me go when I calmed down."

Tom spoke up then. "So he told the doctors and other police on staff that Ranger is abusing you, and you need help. They're treating you like a domestic abuse victim, checking for signs of physical and sexual assault."

I nodded. "I think so."

"Should I be concerned?" Ranger asked Tom.

Tom shook his head. "I doubt it. The bottom line is that Stephanie would have to press charges against you for anything to happen. I assume that you're not going to do that?" He looked at me with a grin.

"Absolutely not!" I agreed.

"It sounds to me like this Joe is trying to cause problems for one or both of you. He knows this will end up as public knowledge. He's probably hoping to damage your reputations. He knows that Stephanie won't press charges, but it's still likely that many will believe the stories. Also, it will shift the blame from him to you, Ranger." Tom explained.

I looked up at Ranger, worried. "I don't want people to think those awful things about you."

He shook his head. "People have thought worse of me than that, Babe. It'll all work out. Don't worry about it."

"I'll figure out a way to prove that you're innocent in all of this." I nuzzled his neck as I thought through my plan of attack.

"Were there any witnesses?" Tom asked.

"No." I shook my head. "And I think Joe's dashcam has been broken for like a year now. Unless it was just recently fixed."

I chewed on my lip, deep in thought. "Wait a minute! Don't all of the RangeMan SUVs have audio and video recorders?" I grinned triumphantly.

Ranger exchanged a glance with Tom. "Yeah, Babe, they do. But are you sure it's a good idea if we pull up the video?"

I just stared at him in stunned disbelief. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

"Well, sometimes, adrenaline can cause people to forget exactly how things happened. I just don't want to pull up the video and have it show that you tried to attack Morelli before he hit you."

I put my hands on my hips and said in my snottiest voice, "So you don't believe me? You don't think that what I told you is what really happened?"

Ranger blew out a deep breath and scrubbed his knuckles across his face. "Babe, I trust you 100%. I would trust you with my life. I have trusted you with my life. With my daughter's life even! It's just that with all of the emotions and adrenaline that come with an incident like this, it can be hard to keep track of exactly what happened. If we tell the police that we have a dashcam, they are going to want to see the footage, too. I just don't want to make their case for them."

My shoulders slumped. How sure was I that Joe had hit me before I pulled out my stun gun? I was positive. That's what happened, right?

Tom and Ranger watched me silently.

Finally Tom spoke up. "Ranger has a good point, Stephanie. If you are sure of the order of events, then the recordings are definitely something we want to pursue and enter into evidence. If you're starting to doubt yourself, don't bring them up. We may be able to review them by ourselves back at RangeMan first."

I bit my lip. "I'm sure."

Ranger pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. He started speaking in rapid fire Spanish to whoever answered the phone. I think I caught about two words of the whole exchange.

He ended the call and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "Hector and Hal are headed out to the impound lot. They're going to download the footage from the dashcam."

Just then my stomach let out a horrible growl. I looked at the clock. How could it already be 1:00? Where had the day gone?

"Hungry, Babe?" Ranger smirked.

I nodded, and Ranger made another call. "Santos! Grab some Pino's for me, Steph, and Tom and deliver it to TPD." Then he disconnected. If he weren't getting me lunch, I would be appalled at his horrible phone manners!

We sat back and chatted casually, waiting for Lester to deliver our lunch. Tom was in the middle of a hilarious story about a mission he, Ranger, Tank, Bobby, and Lester had been on when Ranger's phone rang.

"Yo!" he answered, absently rubbing my arm.

Suddenly he sat straight up in his chair, and I almost fell off of his lap and onto the floor. He barked "Double check all of the equipment. Let me know immediately when you access the recordings!"

Ranger ended the call and threw his phone down on the table.

"Problem?" I asked quietly.

"When Hector and Hal got to the impound lot, Morelli was already there with a team. Supposedly they were collecting evidence, but Hal noticed that some of the wiring for the dashcam had been tampered with. He thinks Morelli erased the footage from earlier today."

TBC

Ugh, MORELLI! Please read and review!